A Brief Pause For Reflection ......

Do you ever get so filled with wonderment at the unbelievably rich and varied world in which we live that you just have to stop and think about it a while???  Well, I do - and I think you do too!!!!  Together we have been through some astonishingly diverse topography and climate - and we have seen creatures that often defy imagination.  And, somehow, it all fits together so very well ....!!  I realized that often, the things we happen to be looking at or talking about are directly related to stuff we were discussing just a little while ago.  For example - after seeing the Rocky Mountains I was thinking about the glaciers we have seen so frequently in the last few days and the impact they have on the landscape.  Then I started thinking about the people who devote their lives to studying things like that.  It brought to mind the Russian scientists who, just last week, penetrated the Antarctic ice fields to find an incredibly ancient lake.  All at once I remembered that the our epicenter for such research is in Denver, Colorado - right where our current trip has taken us - at the National Ice Core Laboratory.  Serendipity!!!  And then I thought about the people who have devoted their lives to other things that were intended to improve the condition of humankind - people we've talked about recently.  Think about it - St. Catherine of Siena - a twin - and St. Scholastica (we met her in Duluth, remember?) who was also a twin!!  Ancient lava flows ... and brand new geysers!!!  Creatures like the Horseshoe Crab that we met back at Cape Romain who connects us to the little Trilobites that populated the earth millions and millions of years ago.  All kinds of stuff that eventually connects with other stuff. Wow!!!  I read a book not long ago that talks about this phenomenon of "connectedness".  It is entitled "The Field" and it was written by Lynne McTaggart.  Now I'm not a scientist and some of the physics and stuff that underlie her theories is a bit lofty - but - the idea that somehow our entire universe is connected in ways we can just dimly imagine is one that resonates with me.    The point I'm trying to make is that it seems to me that if we all were a little more aware of how the actions we take affect the world around us and, whether we admit it or not, how much we really depend on each other, we might be able to get better at this business of living together.  Heck, think about what good friends we've become in recent weeks!!  Just a thought!!  We'll be back soon with a "new kind of running experience!!" Come on back to see what I mean!  See ya.